On February 29, 1912, the first partial recognition of the republican
government was made by the American House of Representatives,
unanimously passing the Sulzer resolution congratulating the “people”
of China on assuming the responsibilities of self-government. All
throughout Pechili, at Paoting, where the Anglican missionary, Mr. F.
Day, was killed by a mob which was looting with the Sixth Division,
at Tientsin, and throughout Shangtung province, the revolt spread, as
a recrudescence of the Manchuized anti-foreign or “Boxer” movement.
Native Christians were assassinated or had their eyes put out. Doctor
Sun, at Nanking was distressed, and promised to stand by Yuan and
republicanism. He sent telegrams to all the assemblies requesting them
to be steady, and generously saying that Yuan had rendered a service
by inducing the Manchus to abdicate. The situation reminded one of
Burke’s description of the French revolution: “The National Assembly
is surrounded by an army not raised either by the authority of their
crown or by their command, and which, if they should order to dissolve
itself, would instantly dissolve them.” The new Tientsin mint was
looted. Doctor Schreyer, an eminent German physician of Tientsin, was
assassinated. The American legation guard got through to Peking to
the delight of the foreigners. Foolishly none of the foreign guards
brought artillery, and the legations were therefore at the mercy of any
artillery attack that the northern troops might direct against them. At
Fengtai, the British Somerset regiment was on guard when 1,500 Chinese
modern soldiers stopped the eastbound train. The Somersets, with the
traditional bravery of the British, gave the Chinese troops one hour
to clear out. By that time the 700 British Inniskilling Fusiliers,
under command of the soldierly Colonel Hancock, were brought west,
detrained quickly, and with the Somersets, marched at once on the
positions of the obstructionist Chinese troops, who found discretion to
be the better part of valor. Then the freed train started for Tientsin.
There were now 3,000 foreign troops in Peking, and on March 3rd the
Fifteenth American Infantry, under Major Arrasmith, led a grand march
of the quarter to show Yuan’s rebelling troops that order at last
could be sustained, and Japan was called upon, as in 1900, for 5,000
troops. Hongkong and Manila were also wired to send reinforcements.
The troops of the north who had fought against the republic for four
months, were now showing themselves to be a disgusting set of “Boxer”
looters, incendiaries, murderers and “_agents provocateurs_” for
intervention. The outcome of the whole matter might be the bringing of
the remobilized southern forces north and the immediate unification
of nationalism at Peking under Sun, Yuan and General Li; although the
south at heart desires Nanking to be the capital, as it is removed from
Russian influence and northern sectionalism.
[Illustration:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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